Thursday, October 15, 2009

This(click the link if the video above do not work) is a video by a Father Arellano that I found in Facebook. The video is about why should RH Bill should not be passed in Congress. I believe that Father here is making a big mistake and is spreading wrong information about the RH Bill. Either Father here is spreading lies or he simply is ignorant about the issues and problems our country faces (is there any other possibility?). Maybe he was not able to read and study well what RH Bill is and what this bill is not before making that video. I will tackle below the wrong information and the twisted logic that Father Arellano have and prove him wrong.

1.)The bill promotes 2 child policy

This is the first reason this priest stated as to why Filipinos should repel RH bill. But the bill do not really promote 2 child policy. Maybe Father should've read and studied the bill before making a comment. He then states that five to seven children would be an ideal Filipino family. How can 5-7 children a family be ideal? Even a middle class family would have a hard time bringing up 2-3 children. What more a to low income family with 5-7 children. This priest do not even mention his basis to this statement. Will the Catholic church pay for the food and shelter for these families? It is really ironic because Father here promotes 5-7 kids per family as 'ideal' and he himself is a celibate (or is he really?).

2.)Sex education is pornography

How can sex education be pornography even to eight year olds? What part of "education" this educated(?) priest do not understand? Sex education is not a pornography. Sex education "educates" people about sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, contraception, and other aspects of human sexual behavior. Basically it aims to educate people about human sexual behavior. It is not the depiction of explicit sexual subject matter for the purpose of sexually exciting the viewer.

3.)The Bill is against Catholic Faith

So what now if the bill is against the Catholic faith? It would not follow that it should not be passed just because it is against the Catholic faith. The Philippines is not only composed of Catholic faith. We have Muslims, Protestants, Hindus, and other faiths. Not to mention agnostics, atheists, and deists. Priests like this should not join in the affairs and decision making of the state. Majority of them (if not all) are not really educated well in state related issues like this one and that their doctrines and/or beliefs could hinder progress in our country. I mean they do not really care about the issues and problems our country face. They are more concern in following the doctrines and beliefs.

4.)RH Bill kills and is pro-abortion

The RH Bill do not really kill and is not pro abortion. No where in the bill that states that abortion is legal or that it would be legalized. In fact, it prevents unwanted pregnancies that could lead to abortion (and most importantly, it educates). Unplanned and unwanted pregnancies result in children that can't be fed or sent to school. Remember that contraceptive is different from abortion. As to the killings like genocide/holocaust that Father mentioned, I honestly do not get it. How can this bill kills?

5.)Philippines is the conscience in Asia

Are we really? In fact we are one of the most corrupt country in Asia and maybe in the world.

6.) Anti Labor

Let me quote a comment here from limestories in youtube.

According to Fr. Arellano, the country's number one export resource is﻿ its labor? Now I'm scared. How can that be a celebration of life when a man's life per se is degraded, sent to work and toil overseas to be away from their families and friends. It robs the life from the living.

Also, over population would just result more unemployed people.

So these are just some of the points that Father Bing Arellano states in his video. As you can see, he is either telling and spreading lies which is contradicting to the 9th Commandment of his God or he is simply ignorant to the problems and issues that our country faces. I hope that someday he will realize that he is making a big mistake here in influencing people not to pass this bill.

@AnonymousSo are you saying that there is life after death? Or something beyond this world? And your proof/evidence to this is what?

Population control still helps a lot in minimizing (at least) the poverty in this country. (and this is just one of the aspects that the RH Bill helps) Imagine if families (especially the middle to low income families)would have 5-7 children, do you think that would help? Will the Catholic Church help these families? Give them food? Will the Church give jobs to these families incase unemployed? Send these children to college? You know, the way I see it, the Catholic Church really don't give a damn in the lives of its people. All they care is their dogmas and doctrines. I mean look at the video above. Look at the stupid claims of the Priest. Look at the comments (youtube) made by both believers and non believers.

A lot of peaople do not realise that the pill works as an abortive in the female body. Many women do not realise this, who actually take the drug. The coil also is an abortive and many women are not educated in how these contraceptions actually work. In both cases, egg and sperm do join but are subsequently expelled from the body, this is abortion. As for other forms of contraception, they reduce the sexual act to a a selfish act of self love...promoting sex as a service or amenity instead of the wonderful gift that it is bewteen a man and a woman. In all western cultures the introduction of contraception has been the gateway for the introduction of abortion at a later stage, hence promoting a culture of death which has led to a breakdown of the family. Where "progressive" countries have introduced abortion, contraception etc we have seen breakdown of families, which in turn leads to breakdowns in society, increased suicide, drug use, and prescriptions for anti-depressant medication is on the huge increase in western culture - yep we are so happy with our money, lifestyle, contraception and population control....The fact is western cultures have turned away from God and we reap what we sow.

@Anon, btw women take pills not only for contraceptive purposes but also for other medical problems.

The Catholic Church cannot/shouldnot dictate others what to do with their body or lives. Not all people are Catholics. The Church should not define what is moral or not. I see no problem if people wants to have PMS as long as they do not cause any damage to others and themselves. I mean, its a human need. There's nothing wrong in it (again as long as it can cause damage). Further there's really nothing wrong in using contraceptions. In fact they prevent serious problems like the spreading of HIV or controlling the population to name a few. Also, RHB is not only about contraception.

I do not really see the connection of using contraceptives and 'breakdowns' in society. Contraception is not abortion.

The problem here is that the church is much more concerned on their doctrines instead of the realities that people face.

Again, sasabihin ko ulit, hindi lahat ng pilipino ay mga katoliko kaya ang mga pari, hindi nila dapat sabihan ang mga pilipino kung ano ang dapat gawin sa buhay nila. i mean do you think a family with FIVE children is IDEAL?? do you really think that condoms kills and it spreads HIV faster as your Pope PapaRatzi said?? do you want to follow and accept that lies/ignorance? do you think that is good?

now, sa pag gamit ng contraceptives. bakit nakiki alam ang mga pari o ang simbahan sa pag gamit ng contraceptives? anong pake nila? to use or not to use a condom is a personal choice. its the choice of the subjects involve. further, as ive have stated above, the RHB can give a lot of good. it educates us, improves our rights to name a few. your church can't see these good because they are clouded by their ancient doctrines. also there have been a lot of studies conducted by WHO and other nonprofit orgs that shows population has a relationship with poverty. if you want i can show you the studies here.

and before you come back here and criticize contraceptives and the RH Bill, i think you should read and understand it first. research ka muna.

discreet infidel.... its all about money,greed and corruption..those politicians promoting this RH Bill have either been paid or are ignorant about the moral degradation that this bill brings about..the number one cause of poverty is CORRUPTION.Now, they want to blame it on overpopulation..secondly, who gains to benefit from this bill? pharmaceutical companies making these pills and abortifacients..thirdly,would you envy 1st world countries who are on the brink of losing their culture?those countries who have a birth rate of 2 percent or less will never be able to sustain itself.in 50 years the face of America,Europe,etc will change...i'll be a Muslim majority...they are pro-life and pro-wife......so you decide...either you're ignorant of these realities or you're ONE of these CONSPIRATORS,

//its all about money,greed and corruption..those politicians promoting this RH Bill have either been paid or are ignorant about the moral degradation that this bill brings about..//do you have evidence to this? second, care to tell us what kind of 'moral degradation' this bill brings?

//the number one cause of poverty is CORRUPTION.Now, they want to blame it on overpopulation..//who says overpopulation is the MAIN cause of poverty?? overpopulation may not be the main cause but overpopulation would certainly result to poverty. there have been studies conducted from UP and from UN that shows overpopulation and poverty have a relationship.

//..secondly, who gains to benefit from this bill? pharmaceutical companies making these pills and abortifacients..//straw man argument. the people in general will gain from this bill. have you read the bill????? it educates us and provide health care!

//thirdly,would you envy 1st world countries who are on the brink of losing their culture?those countries who have a birth rate of 2 percent or less will never be able to sustain itself.//those who have lower birth rates are the ones who are more succesfull economically. these countries also have less crime rates.

//so you decide...either you're ignorant of these realities or you're ONE of these CONSPIRATORS,//realities eh?? do you know the reality today?? many are suffering because of poverty resulting from overpopulation. they are hungry. they have no jobs. they don't have access to healthcare. they are uneducated w/ sex. who will feed them? who will give them jobs? who will educate them? You? CBCP?

this is embarrassing for progressive-minded catholics like me who would prefer a more constructive evaluation of the RH bill, like the Ateneo de Manila faculty did with their position paper a year ago. I know that the RH bill is open to the use of both natural and artificial means of birth control, but the issue on the RH bill is more of providing more improved social services for poor families. the Church at some point may have become more oblivious of the stark social conditions of the poor by becoming more and more uncritical and constricted with its doctrinal straitjacket in its oftentimes baseless opposition to the RH bill. for the Church to regain its agonizing challenge to make the preferential option for the poor and the oppressed, it has to learn to open its mind to the bleak reality of the present social conditions and leave its comfort zone of doctrinal and moral(istic) aptitude

@Discreet Infidel - I like your comment. We share the same sentiments exactly.

To the 2 Anonymous posters (I might be the 3rd :P), did you even watch the video before you commented? Have you even READ the RHB draft? Here's a link - sit back and read:

http://dirp3.pids.gov.ph/population/documents/HB4110.pdf

The point really of RHB is to give people more options. It still considers abortion illegal. The contraceptive issue may be a gray area, but that is one small section in the bill compared to all its provisions about women's rights and healthcare and proper information dissemination. The point of the bill is to give accessible information so that each individual may make a personal choice - based on each one's belief. If you're catholic, then do what you please - it won't stop you; but if you're not, at least you have a knowledgebase on hand about reproductive health when you need it.

About the author

I'm a man on a journey of self discovery. Along this road, I have to wage a battle against superstition, ignorance and deception. Fighting the forces of false hope and blind faith to pave way for the rise of reason and logic.